Thanksgiving is mostly over. I think tonight will be our last turkey-and-stuffing leftovers. Tomorrow, the remains will become soup and pies. Nice to have those meals in the freezer for an easy dinner.
I learned two valuable lessons this Thanksgiving. One is to make my corn pudding in a deep casserole dish, instead of the shallow one I have always used. We were a small group this year, so I made half the recipe in a soufflé dish. It was my best ever. Expect the new version at the town party that’s coming up on Dec. 11 at the Grange, 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
The other is that Linda Vadász made a stuffing recipe from Melissa Clark in the New York Times. It is much better than my old recipe that I have used for the past 40-plus years. The recipe is easy to find online. It’s made with brioche instead of breadcrumbs, has chestnuts and fennel in it, is beautiful, and tastes amazing.
Driving home after Thanksgiving dinner, it was a treat to see Middletown Nursery with white lights wrapped around all the trees and branches. Alley’s decorated its porch last week. The crew at Station 1 put up their lights at radio check on Sunday morning. Houses and yards all around town are ablaze with white or colored lights. I love everything looking so festive and colorful. It certainly brightens the drive home after dark.
Santa Claus will arrive at Station 2 next Sunday, Dec. 7, from 1 to 3 pm. There will be pictures taken and presents, cookies, hot chocolate, and your opportunity to tell Santa your most special wishes.
“Island-Made Holidays” is open at Gayle Gardens, with 20 artisans participating. It is open daily, 10 am to 4:30 pm, through Christmas Eve.
Micah Thanhauser will open his kiln at Merry Farm Pottery with new pieces for sale on Sat., Dec. 6, 10 am to 3 pm. His online site, merryfarmpottery.com, will be restocked on Dec. 10. Call or text to visit, 774-836-4349.
The Friends of the Library’s pop-up book sale over the week before Thanksgiving was a big success. I think many of us got a good bit of our shopping done. So many of the books and puzzles were brand-new, and there was a good collection of books by Island authors for children and adults.
Special events at the library this week include an after-hours Nerf battle for kids and teens beginning at 5 pm on Friday, Dec. 5. Registration is required: email lhearn@clamsnet.org.
The holiday party is on Saturday from 2 to 4 pm. There will be refreshments, live music, supplies for making cards, and lots of evergreen boughs and decorations for making swag to take home. The Lego Club will meet on Sunday, 12:30 to 1:30 pm, and Tom Dresser’s book talk, “The Revolutionary War on Cape Cod and the Islands,” will begin at 2:30 pm. Writers Read is Monday at 7 pm; sign up at gaia1muse@gmail.com. Tuesday at 3 pm, kids and teens are invited to a T shirt design craft, with pizza served. Wednesday at 3:30 pm, “‘Sesame Street’: Raising Kids in a Digital World” is a workshop for caregivers of children 3 to 5 years old. Susan Wasserman will talk about her book, “Stepping Off the Boat: Stories from North Manitou Island,” Thursday afternoon at 4:30 pm.
The night sky has been so clear and star-filled. It is impossible to pick out only one star to wish upon among the lavish display. Nonetheless, it never hurts to make a wish, so I do.
